Fisherman's Wharf

A short walk from the Inner Harbour, a cluster of brightly painted floating homes, fish shops and seafood stands makes up one of Victoria’s most photogenic corners in British Columbia. Fisherman's Wharf lies at 1 Dallas Road in the James Bay district, in a small, sheltered basin where commercial fishing boats tie up beside pleasure craft. The area is a working harbour as well as a tourist stop, and it has a relaxed, slightly scruffy charm that contrasts with the more formal buildings around the main waterfront.

The land is the traditional and ancestral territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples of the Coast Salish Nation, whose communities have lived on these shores for thousands of years. The modern harbour grew from a commercial fishing base into a mixed community of boats and houseboats.

Visitors will find the floating homes the visual highlight. They sit on floats along the docks, painted in strong colours such as turquoise, yellow, red and purple, with flower boxes, small decks and the occasional garden gnome. The residents are real, so visitors should walk on the public boardwalks and not stray onto the private floats. Harbour seals often swim around the docks looking for scraps, and some of the vendors sell fish for feeding them, which is popular with children.

Food is the other attraction. Barb's Place Fish & Chips is the best known of the waterfront eateries, serving fish and chips, chowder and seafood burgers at outdoor tables, and other vendors sell ice cream, crab and fresh fish directly from the boats when they return with a catch. The Victoria Harbour Ferry water taxis stop at the wharf, so travellers can arrive by water from the Inner Harbour, and a walk of about fifteen minutes along the shore from downtown also works. The route passes the waterfront parks and the edge of James Bay.

Opening times for individual vendors vary by season, and shops may close in the off-season, so check ahead if you have a specific stop in mind. The wharf is free to visit, with parking close by for a fee.

Photographers, families and anyone who enjoys a working waterfront will find it appealing. Late afternoon gives warm light on the painted houses, and it is easy to combine with a stroll to Beacon Hill Park along Dallas Road.